Drumlie Waters

Memorial to the late Richard Prior

Further progress - a proposed wording for a memorial to Master Gunner Richard Prior has been approved by his family, and permission is now to be sought from Argyll & Bute Council. It will be remembered that Richard Price received a full scale naval funeral to Kilchattan in 1912, attended by the First Lord of the Admiralty. Unfortunately, a proposed memorial stone was never erected. A reader has generously offered to head a subscription to permit a stone to be commissioned now. Whilst permissions are sought and other details arranged, any reader who would wish to be associated with this worthy project is invited to contact the Editor.

The Future of the Shop

The Strathspey and Reel Society

All 25 members of the Oban Strathspey and Reel Society very generously sacrificed an entire weekend to be able to play for us at a Ceilidh on Saturday 23rd September. It was a wonderful evening, thoroughly enjoyed by one and all - and it was good to see Donald Harrison, a longstanding friend of the island, playing alongside his son Robbie.
Because the local budget could not run to meet the expenses, the members of the Society were so generous as to subsidise the cost of the weekend from their own pockets. Their gesture is deeply appreciated locally ... the "three cheers for the band" came from the heart.

The photograph of the band was blurred - so here are Sandy Abrahams, Marie MacDougall and Carol with Pede MacNeill studying the movements of the fiddlers' elbows.

The Air Service

Nature Notes

The picture shows a remarkable moth discovered by Laura Brown in her garden; there was some slight doubt about the species but now it can be confirmed that it is a Convolvulus Hawk Moth, from the Mediterranean. It is about 5 inches across and very unusual in these northern climes.
Flocks of small birds are everywhere, especially twite and pipits feeding on seedheads, plus large numbers of stonechats, pied wagtails and finches. The skeins of geese are a splendid sight, everywhere you hear the call of the curlew; the chough, although visible and audible, are mainly in pairs at present. This is a brilliant year for fungi - there are still plenty of mushrooms, the distinctive orange peel fungus is widespread and the shaggy inkcaps are quite dramatic (outside Longfield grid; beside the road at Bealach nan Sac; opposite the surgery).
Old wives will be preparing their winter woollies in view of the copious quantity of brambles, haws, apples, elderberries, rosehips and rowan berries. Less obvious fruits can be seen on Marsh St. John's Wort and one should also look for seeds of tormentil at present - "like little wizzened strawberries".

Snippets

Nooks and Crannies

What's On in Colonsay

As usual, it is best to look out for the notices at shop and elsewhere:
The Screen Machine - three major movies on September 30th

The Young Farmers Dinner is arranged for 7 October - application form at shop.
The Root and Grain Show - entry forms at the shop.
The Gaelic Workshop, 16 - 20 October, conducted by Alastair Scouller, is likely to be held in "The Upper Room"; for further details contact Alastair direct, or via the Editor.
An exhibition of work by Colonsay and Oransay artists is open before the arrival of each ferry, and is mounted in the Pier Waiting Room.
Quiz night - every Wednesday at the hotel.
Religious Services each Sunday are at 11.00 in Church of Scotland and 12.00 in the Baptist Church. All are welcome.

The Magazine Section

Colonsay's Family Origins (Part 2 of 3)

After Magnus Barelegs, another great leader came to Colonsay, half Viking and half Scottish, the man who was to carve a fiefdom for himself and to found an honoured dynasty. This man was Somerled ( = "summer leader", i.e. a true viking raider), and his descendants were to be remembered as the Lords of the Isles. Somerled rose to become a threat to Godred, King of Man, and the latter sent his fleet to chastise him. Somerled, a canny man, had deliberately provoked the response and, from a probable base in Colonsay, laid an ambush. As Godred's fleet sailed up through the Sound of Islay on the feast of Epiphany 1156, Somerled and his ships lay in wait, hidden behind the Post Rocks; Godred's fleet could not turn against the strong tide and found itself surprised. Worse still, Godred's fleet was still equipped with steering oars, whilst Somerled had equipped his own force with the more-manoeuvrable rudder. The battle is said to have been prolonged, with the tide carrying the combatants ever closer to the Colonsay shore and under the fascinated gaze of the inhabitants. The eventual result was that Somerled was able to establish himself as Rex Insularum ( = "King of the Isles") and the significance of his success is succinctly expressed by Norman Newton, ("Colonsay & Oronsay", David & Charles 1990):

"It is impossible to overstate Somerled's importance in the history of the Western Isles. After his death (1164) his lands were divided between his two surviving sons, Dugall and Reginald. Dugall (from whom all MacDougalls are descended) inherited Lorn, Benderloch, Lismore, the Garvellochs and the Treshnish Isles, Mull, Coll, Tiree and the north end of Jura.. Reginald got everything else, and on his death his holdings were divided between his sons Donald and Ruari. Ruari got "Garmoran" (Moidart, Arisaig, Morar and Knoydart), Eigg, Rum, Barra and Uist, while Donald inherited Islay, Colonsay, Oronsay, Kintyre, Ardnamurchan, Morvern and the south end of Jura. "It is this Donald who is the progenitor of Clan Donald, and through him all MacDonalds trace their descent from Somerled and ultimately from the kings of Dalriada and the High Kings of Ireland."

The origins of Clan Donald of Colonsay are of course identical with those of the main clan, although the Lordship was a peripatetic institution in the early years and not especially linked to any one territory. It is an accepted fact that Clan MacPhie was established in Colonsay by the Lords of The Isles, acting as their record keepers and overseeing their interests. As the Lord and Council progressed through the isles on an annual tour, rents were collected and consumed, and disputes were adjudged. Statutes still exist which were enacted in Colonsay and two have been published in "Acts of the Lords of the Isles 1336 - 1493" (Scottish History Society 1986). Thus on 29 July 1492 there is a Charter signed in Colonsay, and on 1 August the Lord and Council granted another one in Oronsay.

Of course, by now the Lordship of the Isles had developed a fixed locus, at Finlaggan Loch in Islay and it is interesting to notice their communication system. The place name Cnoc an t' Samhla had puzzled the present writer for years, until a neighbour (Alasdair Scouller) pointed out that there are two places of the same name in Islay, close to Finlaggan. It was quickly established that the important and ancient Dun Cholla has no line-of-sight in that direction and that even Dun Eibhinn has a restricted visibility within Colonsay. The ancients resolved the problem and the name of Colonsay's Cnoc an t' Samhla simply commemorates its function - "Reflector Hill". Various lookout posts in Islay and Jura ("Cnoc na faire") could communicate with Cnoc an t' Samhla and the message could be forwarded in the instant.

The Lordship of the Isles was forfeited to the Crown in 1493, after which the strongest surviving remnant became known as Clann Iain Mhoir ( = "Descendants of Great John", Lord of the Isles, d. 1385). For the next one hundred and fifty years, Clann Iain Mhoir fought with tooth and nail to save something of their patrimony; the battle engulfed the whole region and at times affected the whole of the three kingdoms. The details may be easily followed in the published histories. The story culminated in eventual success for the Irish branch of the family (the descendants of Somhairle Buidh ("Sorley Boy") whose son became the first Earl of Antrim), and encompassed the ultimate destruction for the Scottish branch. By 1615 the most senior member of the Scottish branch of Clann Iain Mhoir was Colla Ciotach MacDonald of Colonsay (1570 - 1647). His was a turbulent life and he and his family were prominent in the resistance to Argyll and his Covenanters.

When Charles I was in extremis, Colla Ciotach of Colonsay fought on, until he and his personal command became the last surviving Royalist force. He held the king's commission in Scotland, fought on for months after Montrose, Huntly and the others had left the scene, until eventually he had to surrender the ancestral seat of Dunnivaig in Islay (5 July 1647). Colla Ciotach MacDonald was subsequently murdered by the Campbells, at Dunstaffnage Castle; his son, Alasdair MacCholla fought on, in Ireland, served as Governer of Clonmel and was a hero at Knocknanuss, the single largest military engagement of the Civil War. Sic transit gloria mundi … although Colonsay was restored to Sarah MacDonald (Colla's grandaughter) and held by her from 1661 until 1686, events were moving too quickly. The MacDonalds and all their adherents were murdered or driven from the place and, as yet, have not returned.

There has been some reference to Clan MacPhie above and this is a name (nowadays often rendered as "Duffy") which will be forever associated with Colonsay. The late Dr. Ian Grimble felt that they might be an ancient family which pre-dated the arrival of the Scots from Ireland, one which made itself useful to the invaders. In this way, they could have survived through the Viking period too, although one tradition has it that they were of Scandinavian origin themselves. The tradition favoured by the present writer is, perhaps inevitably, far more romantic and one that neatly explains the enigmatic, widespread but (allegedly) unrelated distribution of the name throughout Ireland. Under this scenario, the descendants of Somerled had power and wealth in the Hebrides, but lacked social status. In due course one of them married a daughter of the mighty O' Cahan, an Irish high king of ancient lineage and with extensive territories centred upon Derry; instead of a dowry, his daughter brought leading noblemen into the Isles. Her retinue is said to have included the progenitors of the MacAllisters, MacEacherns, MacPhies and other leading families, and they were granted specific territories and responsibilities within the Lordship.

Although the exact origins of Clan MacPhie are at present uncertain, one can be confident that DNA techniques will resolve the issue before long. In the meantime, we do know that they were prominent in Colonsay throughout the history of the Lordship, that they made an enormous contribution to the religious and artistic life of Oransay, and that at as late a date as 1609 the Statutes of Iona were witnessed by a company that included "Donald McFie in Collonsaye". Equally, we are aware that the last recognised clan chieftain, Malcolm McPhie, was executed in Colonsay by Colla Ciotach in February 1623, together with some accomplices. Although this was doubtless a setback to the family, they remained in Colonsay and were prominent for generations to come; a number of families still resident in Colonsay have McPhie antecedents.

Amongst the other names that are anciently connected with Colonsay, one must remember both MacMhuirrich (Currie) and MacMhaollin (Bell); both names are significant in Colonsay historical tradtion, and played a major part in "The Battle of An Deabhaidh". Parts of this story appeared in books published by Symington Grieve, John de Vere Loder and Murdoch McNeill, and the various accounts were re-assembled in "Colkitto! A Celebration of Clan Donald of Colonsay" (Kevin Byrne, House of Lochar, 1997). The story is useful in that it identifies the Bell family with the district of Balnahard, and also identifies both the residence and the high status of Calum Caol Mac Mhuirrich. (The ruins of his 16th century home survive and might one day reward archaeological interpretation). Both these families continued to live in Colonsay after the MacDonalds had been removed, and the Bells were eventually joined in Colonsay by their distant cousins from Knapdale, the MacMillans.

After the era of the MacDonalds, Colonsay and Oransay came under the sway of the MacNeills "of the South", a family with extensive interests in Kintyre and Gigha; but they were not the first of the name to make their home in the island. Many years earlier, when fosterage was a widespread method of forging and maintaining alliances, the McNeill of Barra ("McNeill of the North") had arranged for one of his children to be born and raised amongst the MacPhies. Once again, the story has been widely published and it is enough to remember that the child was born prematurely, and as result of having been born at sea (in a snowstorm) was known ever after as Iain a' Chuan ("John of the Ocean"). As an adult, he settled in the island, originally at Balavetchy but later moving to a newly created farm, known as Dun Ghaillion ("Blizzard Farm"). This is of especial interest, as it is an agricultural steading without defensive characteristics and unique in Colonsay with the exception of an exact double, Dunan a' Chullaich ("Boar Farm"). These two farms are recorded in leases as the "twa Killoderans" and are first mentioned in 1541; the two farms are within sight of one another and are almost a mirror image on either side of Loch Fada, even down to the quality and type of land. They presumably represent a phase of agricultural reform, and unless the name is coincidental, it seems likely that young Iain a' Chuan must have made his spectacular arrival sometime in the early part of the sixteenth century.

Building a House in Colonsay - Chapter 8

Yes! the slaters arrived as expected and they were at work within the hour. No complaints at that. Less than two weeks later they have completed the main roof and this afternoon (Tuesday) only had the porch roof to finish. So good progress there.

Inside, Bruno has carried on with the plumbing and nearly all the pipework is installed. His apprentice has returned from a spell at the James Watt College in Greenock and is now at work running cables upstairs, where there is a floor.

Don has now laid all the upstairs floors, as Bruno has finished the pipework at that level. But the ground floor will wait until all the pipework below it is finished and pressure tested. So it won't be not long now before that floor goes down. The Junkers hardwood floors do look good and will most certainly add a touch of class to the place. So, until Bruno is ready for the ground floor, Don is getting ready for the two Piccasos, aka Donald and Angus, to start work on the plasterboard walls and ceilings.

Donald also intends to give the finishing coats to the outside woodwork at the first reasonably dry opportunity, so that gutters and rhone pipes can be fitted and roughcasting added. Roughcasting should happen very soon when Mickey and his mate come back from Mull, due on Sunday night.

Also expected this week is the second part of the kit. This comprises all the inside fittings like doors and skirtings, and also the staircase and a host of minor bits and pieces.

So, all in all, good progress in the last couple of weeks.

Colonsay Man Shot

The following is an extract from the "Grand Forks Herald" of unknown date, concerning a Colonsay emigrant:

OFFICER BLUE SHOT
EARLY THIS MORNING BY A MAN WHOM
HE FOUND IN A CHILD'S PLAY HOUSE

About 3:30 this morning as Officer Blue on patrol was passing the residence of L.H. Sannes on Walnut street he noticed a man sneaking into the play house of Mr. Sannes' little daughter at the side of the house. The officer went in to investigate and brought the man out onto the sidewalk, where the stranger showed flight and a scuffle ensued, which was lively enough for a minute. While they were scuffling the stranger drew a revolver and fired over his head at the officer three times, the third shot taking effect, striking Mr. Blue over the left ear, plowing its way through the side of his head for about four inches, grazing and fracturing the skull for some distance and finally coming out at the top of his head. After firing the shots Mr. Blue's assailant took to his heels and disappeared in the darkness before several of the citizens living in the vicinity and hearing the shooting reached the scene. Mr. Blue was taken to Dr. Wheeler's office and Dr. McDonald, who occupied a room in the rear of his own office on the same floor was hurriedly summoned and dressed the wound. He does not think the injuries are likely to prove serious, although it is impossible to determine yet just the extent of the injury. Had the bullet struck a fraction of an inch farther to the right it would have undoubtedly killed the officer instantly. Mr. Blue is certain he will be able to identify his assailant if he has an opportunity.

On the other hand, Donald (Dan) Blue could use a gun himself when duty called:

The Grand Forks Herald

June 29, 1900
"Officer Blue is busy these days collecting dog taxes. Up to date he has collected $215, which represents about 100 dogs. In addition to this he has shot a large number, and will use his gun even more freely in the future, as all the dog owners have now been duly notified. The riders of bikes will certainly be pleased when the cleaning up process has been finished."

The portal site mentioned in Issue 15 turned out to be a turkey - whoops! Sorry about that - to restore the balance I remind you of something really worthwhile... latest figures have re-confirmed the position of google as the very best all-round search engine; if you have not got it as a favourite you are missing something very useful (you will easily find it on any existing search engine).
Meantime, and closer to home, have a look at www.aie.co.uk to review the opportunities available through Argyll & Isles Enterprise. Anybody planning to start a new enterprise in Colonsay would be wise to visit the site (Georgina is a member of their Board and can probably give additional information).

Regulars